Chapter 96: The End of Obsession
Silvio lay motionless on the cold floor. A wide opening in his chest cavity exposed the stillness within. His breathing had stopped completely. The blood that once sprayed across the concrete now formed a slow, sluggish stream. Julio stood over the body. He clutched a piece of flesh that still radiated a faint warmth in his palm. His bloodshot eyes stared at the object with a look of intense adoration. He slowly turned his body toward Agatha.
"Do you see this, Agatha?" Julio raised his right hand. "This is proof of my love. I am giving you exactly what you asked for."
Agatha stood frozen. She stared at Julio’s palm. It was coated in thick, dark red fluid. The sharp, metallic scent of iron filled her nose. Her stomach churned. She clenched her fist behind the folds of her clothes. Her small dagger remained hidden there. She forced herself to remain still.
"Throw that thing away, Julio. The smell is disgusting," Agatha said. Her voice was cold and flat.
Julio let out a low laugh. He tossed Silvio’s heart toward the corpse of his master with a careless motion. A dull thud echoed as the object hit the floor. He wiped the remaining blood from his hands onto his pants. His footsteps moved closer to Agatha. Each step left a red footprint on the concrete.
"You are always like this. Cold and out of reach," Julio murmured. He stopped directly in front of Agatha.
Agatha could feel the heat radiating from Julio’s body. The man’s breath was heavy. A powerful madness shone in his gaze.
"Marco is dead. Silvio is also dead. I have slaughtered their men. You have already received what you wanted from me," Agatha said. She stared directly into Julio’s eyes.
"I did everything for you. I killed them all because I love you," Julio tried to touch Agatha’s cheek.
Agatha tilted her head. She avoided the skin contact. "You did this because you want to own me, Julio. That is not love. It is a disease."
"Do not say that!" Julio screamed. His voice echoed through the silent hallway. "I saved you from Marco! I am the only one who can protect you!"
"You are just like Marco," Agatha replied. She took one step back. "You only want to lock me in a different cage. You want me to be your object forever. You want me to stay quiet and submit to you."
Julio shook his head rapidly. His movements looked stiff. "No. We are different. We are the perfect pair. I can see the beauty behind your hatred."
"Beauty?" Agatha laughed shortly. Her voice was full of mockery. "Look around you. There is no beauty here. There are only corpses and the smell of rot. You have created a hell, not a flower garden."
Julio went silent. He stared at his dirty hands. His eyes began to water. "You do not understand. I destroyed everything so there would only be you and me."
Agatha knew this was the moment. She had to exploit the crack in the man’s emotions. She softened her gaze. She let her shoulders slump as if she were starting to give up.
"Come here, Julio," Agatha whispered.
Julio flinched. He stared at Agatha with disbelief. "You are calling for me?"
"Come closer. I am tired of fighting you," Agatha said again.
Julio stepped forward with hesitation. He approached until their chests were almost touching. He could see the beads of sweat on Agatha’s forehead. He felt a sense of victory. He thought the thorny rose was finally wilting in his grasp.
"Agatha," Julio hissed. He closed his eyes. He tried to breathe in the scent of Agatha’s skin, which was mixed with the smell of medicine.
Agatha felt the rapid thumping of Julio’s heart. She moved her right hand slowly behind her back. Her fingers gripped the dagger hilt with immense pressure. She ensured the tip of the blade pointed directly forward.
"I will take you away from here," Julio whispered into her ear.
"You are not going anywhere," Agatha replied.
Bugh.
Agatha slammed her knee into Julio’s unprotected stomach.
"Ugh!" Julio doubled over. His breath hitched in his throat.
Agatha did not stop. She grabbed Julio’s hair and pulled it back until his head was tilted up. She looked at his face, which was now filled with pain and shock. The glimmer of madness was gone. Only pure terror remained.
Crshhh.
Agatha drove her dagger straight into Julio’s neck. She twisted the blade once before pulling it out with a violent jerk.
A warm, red spray erupted. The blood soaked the hospital gown Agatha was wearing. Julio clutched his neck with both hands. He tried to stop the flow of blood from his artery. His eyes stared at Agatha with a look that was deeply piercing.
"Akh... Aa... gha..." Julio’s voice was only a hiss of leaking air.
Julio staggered back. He hit the hallway wall. He slowly slid down to the floor. His hands still pressed against the wound, but blood continued to seep between his fingers. He tried to speak, but only red foam came out of his mouth.
Agatha stood in front of Julio. She dropped her blood-stained dagger to the floor. The sound of metal clinking on concrete was very loud. She did not feel happy. She did not feel sad. She only felt the weight on her shoulders lighten slightly.
"You were right about one thing, Julio," Agatha said. She knelt beside the body of the man who was beginning to weaken. "We are similar. Both of us have no place in a normal world."
Julio looked at Agatha for the last time. The light in his eyes slowly faded. His hands pressing on his neck began to go limp on the floor. His breathing stopped with a small hitch in his chest. His body became stiff.
Agatha took a long breath. She wiped her face with the back of her hand. She felt the sticky fluid on her skin. She stood up and walked past Julio’s corpse. She did not look back.
Agatha’s footsteps sounded heavy as she walked toward the emergency stairs. She had to find Xavier. She had to ensure her husband did not become the next victim of the chaos she had created herself. She held the cold handrail of the stairs.
"Everything is over," Agatha muttered to herself.
A small explosion sounded from behind. Fire began to crawl along the hallway. It burned medical fabrics and scattered papers. Agatha continued down the stairs one by one. Her mind was empty. She only focused on one name. Xavier.
Agatha reached the ground floor. She saw the door to the underground bunker was still open. She could hear the voices of several people talking inside. She quickened her pace. She entered the dimly lit room.
She saw several stretchers were already empty. Only one stretcher remained in the middle of the room. A man was standing beside the stretcher with his back to her. The man wore a neat black suit.
"Where is my husband?" Agatha asked.
The man turned slowly. He did not answer. He only pointed toward a secret door at the end of the room that was already tightly shut.
Agatha ran toward the door. She tried to open it, but the door was locked from the inside. She pounded on the metal surface of the door with all her strength.
"Open the door! Xavier is inside!" Agatha screamed.
The man in the black suit walked toward Agatha. He placed his hand on Agatha’s shoulder. "It is too late, ma'am. They have already taken him away."
Agatha went silent. She stared at the cold iron door with a blank gaze. She realized that even though she had killed all her enemies tonight, she had still lost what was most precious to her.
"Where did they take him?" Agatha asked with a trembling voice.
The man whispered something in Agatha’s ear that made her eyes widen. Agatha slumped to her knees in front of the door. She clenched her fists until her nails cut into her own palms. Silence reclaimed the bunker. Only the sound of the growing fire on the upper floor remained.
"So, this was your real plan all along?" Agatha whispered.